Pages

Crazy as a Loom

Thursday, July 21, 2016

A day in the life.......


Of all the things I have woven in my weaving career, I think this baby wrap that I just sent to London, is my favorite of all.

The warp is cotton, the weft hand dyed bamboo.



It is incredibly soft.



 The request was for me to dye the bamboo in silver, bronze and gold.

I love how it turned out.
To take something off the loom, do the sewing, then the wet finishing, then the pressing, and have it be so beautiful is humbling, to be sure.
The satisfaction is almost indescribable.
To say that weaving is my passion hardly says it all.



One of my new food passions is the spiralizer.
I guess it is also called the Vegetti.

A friend gave it to me, and it's been sitting in the drawer for a year at least.
But then my zucchini patch went ballistic.
Is someone feeding them steroids???



In two days I picked twice this many.  I'm afraid to go out there.



But the spiralizer is my new best friend.



I have been experimenting.  This time I sautéed it in oil for a few minutes, then I added a small bag of frozen stir fry vegetables, then a bit of pesto that I had in the fridge.  I was obviously scrounging, or you could call it improvising.

It was delicious.


The next time I tried it, I put some mushrooms, garlic and onions in with it.
It's fast, it's delicious, and the zucchini has the same texture as al dente pasta.  It is amazing.   I really love it.



My days are long....I start early, and I like to stay busy.
This morning I was up at 6am, rinsing these skeins that I dyed yesterday.




I do love how they turned out.


I can't stop looking at it.


I heard on NPR the other day, that everything is really black and white, and that the color we perceive is what our eyes see, but not necessarily the truth.

I say that sounds like a pack of lies.  How could this vibrant color be only imagined.



While my skeins were soaking in clear water, I was whipping up zucchini bread.



And while I miss my old Tappan range, I love being able to bake more than one thing at a time, and I really appreciate being able to depend on the temperature being correct.



This photo was an error....but it's just a part of my day........tramping out to the hose to get water for the chickie girls.


I'm exhausted.   How about you?






16 comments:

Sojourner Design said...

Your baby wrap is, indeed, beautiful. Congratulations on such fine work.
Would you please tell us a little more about that particular spiralizer? I have to cut zucs lengthwise to fit into the one that I have and I'm wondering if yours can handle veggies with larger diameters.

Sojourner Design said...

Me again!

About your skeins... I'm wondering what the fiber is. I have lots of experience dyeing wool fiber and am about to begin dyeing cotton and eventually other plant based fiber. Perhaps starting today! The skeins are lovely; looks like you were able to get lots of color into the yarn.

Is there a link for the NPR report? I love any conversations about color and I think their theory is quite plausible.

Deb said...

Haha! Funny that you said that you were afraid to go to the garden...me, too. Zucchini has taken over. But, I'm also enjoying cukes, beans, lettuce, squash and soon peppers and tomatoes.It's so hot here today that the A/C is on and it's not 9am. Whew...

sue said...

I love my Spiralizer! I have the bigger kind that sits on a counter to use and takes up space in the cupboards and that is the only downside of it. We put everything over zoodles or raw cabbage these days. No pasta in this house and we do not miss it. I think what surprised me the most about the zucchini is that it doesn't turn to mush if you need to reheat it. Our favorite recipes are Shrimp with Pesto and Thai Basil Chicken. Zoodles = Yum.

And the baby wrap is incredible!

Peg Cherre said...

That wrap is indeed beautiful. I've just ordered some dyes and will begin the dyeing process myself. Right now I'm into dyeing warps, as opposed to skeins, but that may change.

Anonymous said...

The baby wrap is really wonderful, great use of colors and weaving draft. Beautiful! Love the yarn drying in the yard.

Sharon said...

I've never heard of a spiralizer but I'm going to order one right now! What a fantastic idea. I can't wait to get my energy back - hope it's while it's still summer. Every day from today forward is a step toward recovery and I can't wait to dye yarn. It's at the top of my list - I agree color like that is food for the soul.

Susan said...

I love that you are so passionate about what you do - it shows in your work. The baby wrap is absolutely exquisite. I'm sure the recipient in London will be thrilled with it. You are an incredible artist. I would love to learn to weave but have no I idea where to go to learn.
I've been saying I'm getting a spralizer for the last year and your dishes look so yummy I won't be able to wait any longer. And the zucchini bread - delish!
You certainly do pack a lot into a day!

MarthaVA said...

I don't love zucchini but you sure make it look good!
That baby wrap is amazing. I can see why you love it. The colors are very rich.

Love the dyed Tencel. I love Tencel. I guess you know where to buy it in bulk and undyed. It looks thicker than the Tencel that I buy, already dyed. It's so hot here in VA I can't dye right now as I do too much of it outside. I will be dyeing in fall and using it to weave and knit during winter.

You should be tired! You're one busy, creative woman!

Martha

Shuttle, Hook and Needle said...

Baby wrap is beautiful. Love the colors!
Glad you are doing well and you are busy as usual!

Daryl said...

i am drooling over those loaves ... and that exquisite baby wrap ...

C-ingspots said...

Oh my word, that wrap you made is absolutely beautiful!! I just love it...if I were to order one, I'd want one in similar, neutral colors. Astonishing how creative you are. You have just made me want a spiralizer too. How healthy and delicious your creations look! And my goodness - yes, after reading how busy you've been, I am a bit tired!

thotlady said...

You are a busy girl.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the info on the veggetti! I went right out and bought one, I love it.

Susan said...

The baby blanket is gorgeous! I love my spiralizer too; your zucchini bread looks wonderful and I wish we lived closer so I could pop in:-D

Unknown said...

Love the baby wrap, it's beautiful. I'm a new weaver and found your blog. Your infectious love of life and all things simple and beautiful will keep me coming back. I hope you continue to feel better. Thank you!

Welcome to my world.

Because every thread counts

Because every thread counts